WWE 205 Live Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from March 21

Neville considers himself King of the Cruiserweights and suitably, Tuesday's episode of 205 Live placed him at the forefront of the action.

First, the cruiserweight champion confronted Austin Aries during an in-ring promo, delivering a retort to insults and accusations laid out by his No. 1 contender.

From there, he battled the upstart Mustafa Ali. The young star nearly pulled off an upset on more than one occasion, but Neville secured his win-streak ahead of a massive WrestleMania 33 showdown with Aries.

The top dog in the division was not the only Superstar in action Tuesday night.

The rivalry between Akira Tozawa and Brian Kendrick intensified, and fans witnessed the genesis of a new feud between T.J. Perkins and Tony Nese, who scored a tainted victory over the former cruiserweight champion.

How did each of Tuesday's matches grade out and what are the implications of each outcome? Take a look for yourself with this recap of the March 21 episode of 205 Live.

T.J. Perkins vs. Tony Nese

The underrated Tony Nese battled former cruiserweight champion T.J. Perkins to kick off this week's show. 

Perkins fired off a flurry of offense midway through the bout, including a fantastic moonsault.

Nese, looking for a shortcut to help him score the upset victory, removed the middle turnbuckle pad away from the official's watchful eye. It would take a moment for it to come into play but when it did, it would have a direct influence on the outcome.

The Premier Athlete grabbed Perkins, blocking a springboard attempt, and sent him head-first into the exposed turnbuckle.

From there, he caught him with a running knee to secure the win.

Result

Tony Nese defeated T.J. Perkins.

Grade

B

Analysis

Given the brevity of Perkins' loss to Brian Kendrick on Raw, the 10-minute run time of this one was a welcome change.

Both men were able to showcase their skill sets more than they would be on a given episode of Raw, and the result was a thoroughly enjoyable match. More importantly, the finish sets up a feud for the Superstars going forward.

Nese cheated, Perkins will seek revenge. It is a tale as old as wrestling and at least keeps both men occupied at a time when they have nothing else of note going on.

Though therein lies the problem with the majority of the division.

Akira Tozawa vs. Alex Reynolds

Akira Tozawa was not in the mood for toying with an unknown competitor like Alex Reynolds.

The bell rang.

Tozawa caught him with the snap German suplex.

The bell rang.

That was the extent of the match, but what occurred afterward represented the meat of the segment.

Tozawa demanded Brian Kendrick face him after the enigmatic Superstar stole his passport and slowed his entry into the United States on Monday night. When Kendrick didn't answer, Tozawa took off to the back, determined to face off with the former cruiserweight champion.

From out of nowhere, a security guard attacked him, sending him crashing into the guardrail. The guard revealed himself to be Kendrick, who delivered Sliced Bread No. 2 to bring the segment to a close.

Result

Akira Tozawa defeated Alex Reynolds.

Grade

C+

Analysis

The feud between Tozawa and Kendrick just isn't working.

What started as an intriguing idea (Kendrick teaching Tozawa a variety of lessons) has bogged down in mediocrity, and the result is a program that feels more like a placeholder until the Japanese interjects himself into the cruiserweight title picture.

With that said, the angle on Tuesday night's show was well done and continues to demonstrate the effort put into the feud by WWE Creative. 

That is not prevalent throughout the division.

Austin Aries Promo

Austin Aries hit the ring to a nice ovation and proceeded to interview himself.

This, after blaming Neville for the crappy promo from Raw.

He took potshots at Neville until the self-proclaimed King of the Cruiserweights interrupted. Neville rambled on with more of the same promo he has cut for the last few weeks until Aries called him a "Debbie Downer," which generated a brief chorus of chants.

Neville demanded Aries take his leave before the main event.

Aries declined, taking his place at the commentary position for his WrestleMania opponent's match.

Grade

C

Analysis

Aries is a skilled talker, but this felt very much like the same promo we have heard from these two over the last few weeks.

It did nothing to diminish excitement for what should be the first great cruiserweight match since the tournament to crown the inaugural champion wrapped up, but repetition is not ideal with WrestleMania rapidly approaching.

Mustafa Ali vs. Neville

Credit: WWE.com

Earlier in the main event between cruiserweight champion Neville and Mustafa Ali, a lack of focus and concentration nearly brought about the former's upset loss as he became distracted by Austin Aries at ringside.

Once he settled down, though, he wrestled control of the bout from his opponent. He arrogantly played to the crowd, clearly not taking Ali seriously—that would nearly come back to haunt him.

With Ali thriving late, Neville slowed him with a dropkick that crotched him on the top rope. The champion joined Ali on the top rope but had his offense countered.

In the most memorable moment of the match, Ali delivered a breathtaking Spanish Fly from the top rope for a dramatic near-fall.

Neville answered with his own devastating top-rope maneuver in the form of a release German suplex. Determined to send a message to Aries, Neville opted not to pin his opponent. Instead, he took him outside the squared circle and sent him into the LED section of the ring apron.

From there, he rolled Ali into the ring, applied the Rings of Saturn and scored the submission victory.

Neville and Aries stared each other down and exchanged words to close out the show.

Result

Neville defeated Mustafa Ali.

Grade

B+

Analysis

As much as this was meant to be a showcase for Neville, it also served as a highlight reel for Ali, who more than impressed in Tuesday's main event. A dynamic and explosive high-flyer, it is a shame WWE Creative has not found something for him to do.

The win did nothing to make Neville look any better or worse heading into WrestleMania, but it did cap off the show with a strong wrestling match that reminded fans of the cruiserweight champion's high-flying and agility-based offense at a time when his heel character calls for a more grounded style.